North Korea continued to rail against its foes on Friday, accusing the United
States of mounting a “despicable and base” cyber-attack on its state media
websites.

The accusation caps a fortnight of snarling invective from Pyongyang that has
combined implausible threats of a nuclear strike on Washington with far more
realisable warnings that it might rain artillery fire down on a small South
Korean island.

With diplomats and defence experts increasingly concerned that Pyongyang may
soon add physical provocation to its verbal belligerence, tensions are
running especially high. North Korea’s third atomic weapon test in February
prompted a tightening of